Unintended Consequences (22 page)

“Turns out you’re not the target of all this attention from our Russian friends. I am.”

“Oh, how nice for me!”

“Lance Cabot has given me my own transportation, and they’d like for you and me to travel separately. The Bentley is yours and Helga’s for the duration.”

“Fine. Where is she?”

“Right here,” Helga said from the doorway. “There’s a Black Maria parked in front of the house. Is someone being arrested?”

Stone laughed. “That’s how I’ll be traveling for a while. We’re joining the Bacchettis for dinner, picking them up at eight, so after I get a drink into you, can you be ready to leave at seven forty-five?”

“That sounds awfully exact,” she said, accepting the drink.

“It was meant to. Dino and I are accustomed to being punctual with each other, unless his work gets in the way.”

“Then I will make the effort,” she said, setting down a Chanel shopping bag and sitting next to Marcel on the sofa.

“I spent the afternoon with your masters from the Agency,” Stone said. “I should warn you that traveling around town with me may put you in a certain amount of danger.”

“Then I shall be well armed,” she said.

They finished their drinks and Marcel went to find Helene.

Stone fixed them another drink. “One of the things I learned this afternoon is that I’m the target, instead of Marcel. The Russians want The Arrington, and they’re willing to wait until I’m dead before going after Marcel.”

“That’s very interesting,” Helga replied.

“I also learned that Aldo was waiting in your suite to kill me, not for amorous purposes. Of course, he would have to have killed you, too.”

“Then I’m still glad I shot him,” she said. “It’s just more satisfying now. I would take grave exception, and I mean
grave
, to anyone who meant you harm.”

“That makes me feel warm all over,” Stone said.

“Are we quite alone?” Helga asked.

“Yes, why?”

“Because I feel a sudden urge to have sex in a leather armchair.” She stood up and began peeling off her clothes, then she pulled Stone to his feet and undressed him.

The armchair accommodated them both quite nicely.

At eight o’clock sharp, Stanley opened the van’s sliding door and admitted the Bacchettis.

Dino looked around him. “What is this beast?”

“An M1 tank disguised as a land yacht,” Stone said.

Viv looked around her. “This is more like the interior of a corporate jet than a van,” she said.

“A good comparison,” Stone said. “It’s how I’m traveling these days, until the Agency has corralled the Russians.”

“Can we expect to be shot at?” Viv asked.

“At the very least,” Stone replied.

“Oh, good.” She removed a 9mm pistol from a shoulder holster, inspected the magazine, and found it full. She pumped a round into the chamber, then returned the weapon to its holster.

“I don’t have to check mine,” Dino said. “It’s never been unloaded, except through the barrel.” They pulled to a stop in front of Patroon. “Sit tight for a moment,” Stone said to his guests. “Stanley has to case the joint before we can expose ourselves.”

A moment later, the door slid open, and Stanley assisted the ladies out. “How long?” he asked Stone.

“A couple of hours,” Stone replied.

“Then we’ll park the van, and I’ll be inside with you.”

“Whatever makes you comfortable, Stanley. By the way, three of us are armed.”

“Please don’t shoot me,” Stanley said.

47

T
hey dined well and sipped an after-dinner brandy while Dino complained about his new job.

“I have to go to three or four meetings every day,” he said.

“You’ve been to meetings before,” Stone said.

“Not three or four a day. I can’t stay awake, so I have to drink coffee before every meeting, and that means I have trouble getting to sleep at night.”

“Clearly, the job is ruining your health,” Stone said.

“All right, Dino,” Viv said, “we all know you hate your job, so you can shut up and listen—I have news.”

“Tell us,” Stone said. “Is Dino pregnant?”

“Better than that,” Viv said. “I bought an apartment.”

Dino sat bolt upright. “You did
what
?”

“I bought an apartment.”

“Without consulting me?”

“I’ve been consulting you for weeks about this, and you won’t listen, and you won’t look at apartments, so I bought one. I said ‘I,’ not ‘we.’”

“She likes to lord it over me that she’s rich,” Dino said. “Ever since she collected that reward.”

“Well, I’m not rich anymore,” Viv said. “Now most of it is tied up in real estate.”

“Where?” Stone asked.

“Park Avenue in the Sixties.”

“A snotty neighborhood,” Dino said.

“Prewar building, four bedrooms, living room, dining room, library, kitchen, butler’s pantry, and two maids’ rooms.”

“What are we going to do with four bedrooms?” Dino asked.

“We’re going to sleep in the master suite, which has two bathrooms and two dressing rooms, then we’ll have a room for Ben, when he and his girl visit, one for guests, and I’ll turn one into my study. You can have the library.”

“How much did you . . . Oh, never mind, I don’t want to know.”

“You’re going to love it.”

“When do we have to move in?” Dino asked.

“When I say so, and not before. It has to be painted, and one or two other things done, then it has to be furnished, and when it’s ready, I’ll tell you, and we’ll move in. And I put your apartment on the market today.”

“Oh, God, what if it doesn’t sell before we have to move?”

“So what? You don’t have a mortgage payment. Anyway, the broker thinks it will go fast.”

“I’m being uprooted,” Dino said.

“You’re being transplanted,” Viv replied, “and to a better home.”

Dino excused himself to go to the men’s room.

“What Dino doesn’t know,” Viv said, “is I bought the apartment the day after we got back from Connecticut. The co-op board approved me the following day, we closed quickly, and it’s already been painted. I’ve been furniture shopping all week, and things are already being delivered. I’ve kept the curtains from the previous owner, and I bought a few pieces of their furniture and their piano, too. They’re elderly and they’re downsizing. I’ll let you know when the housewarming is.”

“We’ll look forward to it,” Stone said. He looked up to see Dino returning and gave Stanley the nod to get the van brought out front. Stone paid the check, and they got up and started for the door.

Stanley came back through the front door, breathless. “The van has been shot up, and our driver is dead,” he said. “Go back to your table. I’ve already called it in, and reinforcements and a new vehicle are on the way.”

They went back to the table. Dino got out his cell phone and called the local precinct. He hung up. “NYPD is on the way,” he said.

After ten minutes of grim silence, Stanley returned. “Let’s go,” he said. “I’ve got a car waiting at the back door.”

They followed him outside and got into a stretch Lincoln.

“How did they shoot the driver?” Stone asked.

“He was smoking and had the window down, and that’s definitely not procedure. The van took everything they threw at it and looks good. They’ll need to touch up the paint here and there.”

They pulled out of the alley and were bracketed by two black SUVs that followed them, first to Dino’s building, then to Stone’s house. There were half a dozen heavily armed men around them when they got out of the car and went inside.

“I am unaccustomed to being guarded by men with machine guns,” Helga said as they walked into the master suite.

“So am I,” Stone replied.

“I think it is time for me to return to Sweden, where things are quieter.”

“I couldn’t blame you,” Stone said, “but I would miss you.”

“Why don’t you come with me?” Helga asked as she got into bed. “You will like my island.”

“I have an island of my own, in Maine,” Stone said, “called Islesboro. I think it’s time I got out of town. When the auto show is over, I’m going up there. Why don’t you wait another week and come with me? I’ll invite Marcel, also.”

“I’ll sleep on it,” Helga said.

But they didn’t get much sleep.

•   •   •

T
here was a message on Stone’s desk from Mike Freeman, and he returned the call.

“I hear you had a bit of a rumble last night,” Mike said.

“You could say that.”

“You’ll be happy to hear that our van performed brilliantly. It’s at our factory in New Jersey. It needs a few holes in the bodywork filled and painted, but the Kevlar panels stopped everything. A pity about the driver.”

“He had the window down,” Stone said.

“That’s what I heard. You’ll have the vehicle back late this afternoon without a scratch on it.”

“Lance will be so pleased,” Stone said. “He’s besotted with your van.”

“I wish he could do a commercial for us,” Mike said. “We’ll do very well on sales to the government, even without that. I’ve had a lot of pictures taken of the van before we started repairing it.”

“You may get an offer from Marcel for Strategic Services,” Stone said. “Even though I’ve told him you won’t sell.”

“Good. That will give me some idea of what we’re worth.”

Stone hung up and called Dino. “I’m getting out of town for the weekend,” he said. “You and Viv want to come up to Maine?”

“Viv’s working,” Dino said. “She’s gotta travel somewhere with a client, but I’m in.”

“My house at two on Friday?”

“I’ll see if I can give myself the afternoon off.”

48

S
tone had a day in the house with no company, except Joan. Marcel and Helga did the auto show and didn’t get home until late. Helene made dinner.

•   •   •

E
verybody ready to leave for Maine tomorrow at two?” he asked his guests.

“I’m always ready to travel,” Marcel said.

“What sort of clothes will I need for Maine?” Helga asked.

“
Very
casual,” Stone replied. “You’ll need a sweater in the evenings, and maybe in the daytime, too, and a light jacket, just in case.”

“Will we be swimming?” Helga asked. “I didn’t bring my bikini.”

“Not unless you like your water temperature in the forties.”

“How much is that in centigrade?”

“I have no idea, but it’s cold enough to freeze body parts. You would not enjoy your swim, although we would enjoy seeing you in a bikini.”

“I’ll do some shopping tomorrow morning, just in case,” Helga said.

“Whatever you wish.”

•   •   •

A
t two the following afternoon the van awaited, and Stanley rang the bell and told them the luggage had been loaded. They made it into the van without being fired on, and Stone gave the driver his instructions.

“Are we not driving?” Helga asked.

“No, that would take about eight hours, including a ferry ride to the island. I have an airplane at Teterboro, where you landed when you arrived.”

“Ah,” she said.

Half an hour later they passed through the security gate and pulled up to Stone’s Citation Mustang.

“How cute!” Helga said, getting out of the van and regarding the little jet. “Is there room for all of us?”

“There is,” Stone said. Dino loaded the luggage while Stone did a preflight inspection, then settled Helga and Marcel in the cabin of the airplane.

“Where are the pilots?” Helga asked.

“You’re looking at him,” Stone replied.

“Just you?”

“Dino will help.”

He showed them the earphones for music, then closed the cabin door and began working his way through the checklist, while Dino watched carefully, as he always did, to see that Stone missed nothing.

Stone got a clearance, then taxied to Runway 1. There was a short wait while another airplane landed. Stone did his final checklist, then was cleared for takeoff. He taxied onto the runway, stopped, set the heading and pitot head and switched on the relevant light switches, then he pushed the throttles forward and watched the airspeed as they accelerated. He rotated, climbed to seven hundred feet, then switched on the autopilot. He said goodbye to Teterboro tower and switched to the departure frequency, then was given a climb by New York Departure, then cleared to his first waypoint. Twenty minutes later they were at flight level 310, where Stone leveled the airplane and switched on music for the passengers.

Helga got up and came forward. “This is very interesting,” she said.

Stone asked Dino to switch places with her, and she sat down in the copilot’s seat.

“I hope Dino won’t be offended to give me his seat,” she said.

“Once Dino has willed us into the air without crashing, he’s happy to leave the cockpit,” Stone said. He began explaining the three large color displays that told them everything about the condition of the airplane and their route.

“This is where we’re headed,” Stone said, showing her Islesboro on the large map display.

“And you can land this airplane there?” she asked.

“Oh, yes, there’s a paved runway.” He didn’t explain that it was only 2,450 feet long.

“How long will it take us?”

“Less than an hour.”

“And it would take eight hours to drive?”

“Right.”

“An airplane is very convenient to own,” she said.

•   •   •

H
alf an hour later ATC gave him his descent, and he began pointing out things to Helga. “The bay in front of us is Penobscot Bay,” he said, “the largest in Maine.” He changed the range on the map display, and the island got larger. Twenty miles out he canceled his instrument flight plan, then made his final descent to Islesboro. He checked the windsock to see which end of the runway was favored and he lined up on it, dropping the landing gear, adding full flaps, and slowing dramatically. On such a short runway, a pilot did not want to land hot.

Suddenly they were on the ground, and Stone was using the speed brakes to dump lift and braking hard.